Navigation technology has been generally available to consumers for several years. Global Positioning System (GPS) devices are commonly built into automobiles, and are readily available as portable devices. Maps and navigational applications are available on personal computing devices, such as tablet computers and smartphones. As a result, a traveler may now find his current location when in a vehicle or when walking, and can navigate using this technology. The traveler is presented with electronic maps, and can receive point-to-point directions upon request.
Nonetheless, some issues may remain for the traveler, even if he or she is given a route using the above technology. Not everyone is good at reading maps, for example. Moreover, a lack of familiarity with a route can be a problem, especially from an experiential or emotional standpoint. The traveler may have no experience with the route; he or she may see no familiar landmarks and, despite the availability of a map, a traveler may become disoriented, otherwise confused, or overcome with feelings of anxiety or uncertainty.
In addition, the traveler, even when given automated directions, may have to undertake difficult or unusual driving maneuvers with which he has minimal experience. Examples of these may include traffic circles, u-turns, or left-hand exits from an interstate highway. In another example, exit ramps are often close together and represented as stacked on top of other roads on a conventional two-dimensional map. Here the driver has to execute a difficult maneuver that is visually unclear on a map and difficult to explain in generic terms via voice. Moreover, maneuvers like this must be completed quickly. Therefore, even when given a particular route to follow, a traveler may still have difficulty getting to his desired destination.
In the drawings, the leftmost digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.